Steelers Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Super Bowl IX
800 people gathered at the Wyndham in Downtown Pittsburgh for the annual Mel Blount Youth Home All-Star Celebrity Roast on April 11th. The ceremony typically focuses on honoring one person. This year’s event was significant because it was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Super Bowl IX. It was the first Super Bowl that the Steelers won. Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, “Mean” Joe Greene, John Stallworth, and other key members of the Steelers’ Super Bowl IX victory were in attendance. Terry Bradshaw served as master of ceremonies. Blount and his wife, TiAnda, were the hosts.
Super Bowl IX was held at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on January 12th, 1975. The Steelers had a 16-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Steelers running back Franco Harris was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl IX. He rushed for 158 yards. Blount remembers what it was like returning home from the Steelers’ Super Bowl IX victory. He said, “There were fans lined up along the parkway all the way from the airport to Downtown Pittsburgh.” The Steelers’ 1975 Super Bowl victory marked the beginning of the legendary Steelers 1970s dynasty.
In addition to Blount, Bradshaw, Greene, Stallworth, and Harris, the Steelers dynasty team included Lynn Swann, Mike Webster, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, and Donnie Shell. Chuck Noll served as head coach for the Steelers during their dynasty era. After winning Super Bowl IX, the Steelers won three more within six years. The team defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X in 1976 and again in Super Bowl XIII in 1979. The Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV in 1980. Bradshaw made history as the first NFL quarterback to win four Super Bowls. Reminiscing about the team’s dynasty days, Greene said, “We had quite a run together that you don’t see in this league.” Blount, Bradshaw, Greene, Stallworth, Harris, Swann, Webster, Lambert, Ham, Shell, and Noll are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The annual Mel Blount Youth Home All-Star Celebrity Roast is a fundraiser for the Mel Blount Youth Leadership Initiative. The annual ceremony began in 1998. The Mel Blount Youth Leadership Initiative was created in 2014. Their LinkedIn page states, “The mission of the Mel Blount Youth Leadership Initiative is to provide youth with programs where they will have a healthy environment to learn, work, play, and develop principles of respect, responsibility, and leadership.” The organization’s values are leadership, integrity, respect, teamwork, courage, and excellence. The Mel Blount Youth Leadership Initiative has a partnership with Acrisure Stadium. According to their website, the Mel Blount Youth Leadership Initiative helps more than 2,000 youth every year.
